US-Israel-Iran War Latest Live News: Tensions between the US, Israel and Iran are creating new challenges for shipping in the Red Sea with the Iranian-supported Houthis of Yemen asserting that they have attacked eight Saudi oil tankers since declaring a naval blockade in July. The allegation made through Saba, the official Houthi news agency, has not yet been substantiated.
US-Israel-Iran War Latest Live News: Houthis Claim Eight Tankers Targeted
According to the Houthi report, five oil tankers have been attacked in the Red Sea, while three others have been targeted in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea starting from July 20. The rebel group also said that close to 50 oil tankers of the Saudi Arabia were stopped in the water and made to change course while two military vessels were attacked near Mokha and those claims also remain unverified.
“Since July 20, we have targeted 8 Saudi oil tankers, 5 in the Red Sea and 3 in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea,” the group said, according to Saba. Nearly 50 Saudi oil tankers were also “prevented from transiting the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea and forced to return,” the news agency cited the Houthis as saying.
The Houthi group said Monday it had attacked what it described as a Saudi military landing ship and four escort vessels in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen’s port city of Mokha, after a weekend of escalation in the region.
US-Israel-Iran War Latest Live News: Red Sea Shipping Faces New Pressure
The strategic significance of the conflict cannot be overstated as the Bab el-Mandeb strait is the link between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and it is one of the key maritime chokepoints in the world.
According to US Energy Information Administration statistics, there was an average of 5.4 million barrels per day of oil transported through Bab el-Mandeb in the first quarter of 2026, with 3.2 million barrels per day of crude and condensate. The shipping statistics reveal the effect of the blockade, too. Bab el-Mandeb transit volumes declined by 24% as a result of the Houthi blockade but have since been stable.
US-Israel-Iran War Latest Live News: Saudi Oil Exports Under Pressure
Saudi Arabia has had to change the route of its exports due to growing threats to its security. According to Reuters, Saudi exports of crude oil via Yanbu are restricted whereas the alternative exports via Egypt’s Sidi Kerir are curtailed.
In August, the shipments via Sidi Kerir were anticipated to be approximately 670,000 barrels per day, while prior to the blockade, Saudi exports from Yanbu stood at around 4 million barrels per day. This difference highlights why the maritime issue is important beyond Yemen.
US-Israel-Iran War Latest Live News: Qatar-Egypt Diplomatic Push
In another development, representatives of Qatar and Egypt are in El Alamein in Egypt, preparing for the seventh meeting of their Joint Higher Committee while both countries officials have exchanged views regarding the developments in the region and the steps being taken to de-escalate the situation and bring about stability.
All this diplomatic maneuvering happens amid the widening of the regional conflict on various fronts while the Houthis’ claims still remain unproven, it is evident from the ship movements that the security crisis in the Red Sea is having an impact. The next question is whether the attacks will continue, making the vital waterway too dangerous for the ships.
Disclaimer: Houthi claims cited in this article have not been independently verified. Shipping and oil figures are based on publicly available reported data.
